HOARD Review (PC/Mac)

Most gamers are familiar with the common task of having to defend a village or embark on a quest to slay a dragon, but how would the game play if seen from the other perspective? What if you could control the dragon and wreak havoc upon the surrounding kingdom? Well wonder no more because Big Sandwich Games is here to bring you that experience with their multiplayer based HOARD. Already released on the PS3 and PSP, HOARD is finally arriving on PC and Mac through Steam. Being somewhat of a casual title, some may find the mechanics of the game to be slightly repetitive; but look deeper and what you'll find is an amazingly well structured game that anyone can enjoy.

Since this title is based upon destroying villages and farms with your dragon, a story doesn't particularly exist. When a game lacks a story it is forced to make up for it in the gameplay department. Thankfully, HOARD brings a very addictive amount of gameplay for players to keep coming back. Each player controls a single dragon which can be controlled either by using the keyboard or a gamepad. Using the keyboard is fine but this is definitely the type of game that you will want to use a gamepad with. The dynamics of the game are really where HOARD shines.

There are four different game modes that range from Treasure Hoard, Princess Rush, HOARD, and cooperative. The Treasure Hoard mode is the main game which features up to four dragons, each with their own stash of gold. Each dragon ventures out from their zone to destroy everything and anything they can, including other dragons. When a city or a farm is destroyed, it drops money which can then be gathered and brought back to one's zone. The goal of this mode is to basically be the dragon with the most money at the end of the allotted time. Along with being able to upgrade your dragon's abilities and pickup power-ups scattered throughout each map, HOARD goes much deeper more than you would think.

During this, and every other mode, there is a progression of the world that you witness while you play. If you destroy cities while they grow without destroying the main building, you can make that city "fear" you. This will make these cities send you money, as well as, having their archers not attack you when you approach. Cities will also send out carriages carrying princesses. You can destroy these carriages and take the princess back to your zone. If you hold her there long enough you will be given money, but knights will come to try and rescue her while other dragons can also steal her from you. This among many other little inclusions makes HOARD an extremely dynamic game which can be very strategically played.

The other game modes work with the same basic mechanics of the game but the goal is somewhat different. In Princess Rush you continue the same trend of destroying and plundering, but the winner is determined this time by whomever captures the most princesses. In HOARD mode, my personal favorite, all you have to do is survive. While this sounds easy, the amount of enemies that start attacking you in a very short amount of time turns this mode into an insane experience. The only way you can heal yourself is to collect princesses, but they are heavily guarded. All of these modes are extremely fun and playing with a full game of four people makes everything all the more intense.

Graphically, HOARD uses a very simple palette that isn't too overwhelming on the eyes. This makes jumping into a game with some friends very easy to do without stressing over what's going on in the game.

If you're looking for a fun multiplayer experience then HOARD is your go to game. A simplistic style only sets the player up for the depth that can be gone to with this one. If you plan your strategy right than HOARD can be one amazing and involving game. With such a forgiving price tag, you should definitely pick this one up and go destroy the world with your friends; or just destroy your friends.